Apple iPhone 5S

The
latest and greatest Apple smartphone, the iPhone 5S has a fast processor, crisp screen, 4G LTE and can be unlocked with the Touch ID fingerprint sensor hidden under the home button. Arguably the best 4in phone out there.
From £549. Photograph: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

HTC One

Clad in aluminium with a crisp, good-looking 4.7in screen, the HTC One is
certainly a premium-feeling phone. With 4G LTE, a fast processor, 32GB of storage, Android and loud BoomSound speakers, the One is only let down by an average camera.
From £420

Nokia Lumia 1020

Nokia's flagship Windows Phone, and arguably the best camera phone going, the
Lumia 1020 has a massive 41-megapixel camera. More than just a huge megapixel count, Nokia's clever software and Carl Zeiss optics produce stunning images. A 4G Windows Phone, it has a limited but expanding app selection.
From £480

Samsung Galaxy S4

Samsung's latest non-phablet flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S4 is fast, light and with a 13-megapixel camera and 4G LTE. Its
software can be muddled at times, but Android underneath means access to all 850,000 standard Android apps.
From £400. Photograph: Bloomberg/Getty Images

Sony Xperia Z1

A solid follow up to the different-looking Xperia Z, the Sony Xperia Z1 packs 4G LTE, a fast processor, decent screen and 20-megapixel camera. Being waterproof is its standout feature, along with some fun augmented reality camera applications.
From £435

Sony Xperia SP

The cheapest 4G LTE phone worth buying right now, the Sony Xperia SP is a more affordable cousin to the Xperia Z1, ditching the waterproof outer. A crisp screen and premium-feeling design set it apart from the rest.
From £179.99 (available on EE and O2 4G PAYG)

Motorola Moto G

The
best budget 3g-only phone by miles, the Moto G is Motorola's first UK phone since being bought by Google. With a fast processor, decent screen and slick unmodified Android, its only downfall is the lack of 4G support.
From £135. Photograph: Nelson Almeida/AFP/Getty Images

Samsung Galaxy Note 3

The king of the
phablet category, the
Galaxy Note 3 packs a 5.7in screen, a stylus, a powerful processor and 4G LTE-support. Samsung's additions to standard Android can be confusing at times, but it is arguably the best of the 5in-plus-screen-sized phones.
From £480. Photograph: Zulkarnain/Xinhua Press/Corbis